* Spencer O'Neill and Jack Argent, two of the best known administrators in the club's history, both played junior league in the Parramatta district, O'Neill with Toongabbie in the 1930s and Argent with Parramatta Endeavour in the early 1920s.
* Among the many celebrities in Parramatta's first season was the 'grand dad' of the third grade, Syd Stenner, who at 36, is believed to be the oldest player to play for the club. Michael Cronin, in 1986, was 35. Though old in football terms, Stenner wasn't slow. He was Australian hurdles champion for 12 successive years.
* Parramatta used air travel for end-of-season trips for the first time in 1953 when a group of players and officials travelled to Barradine.
* Secretary Spencer O'Neill was manager of Australia's 1954 World Cup team to Great Britain, France and America. The same year treasurer Jack Argent was NSW manager. Argent later managed the 1960 World Cup team. In 1963 Parramatta trainer Bill Hunter died while on tour as Kangaroo team trainer.
* Parramatta is the only Sydney Club to have played South Africa. The Springboks toured in 1963 and Parra were chosen to play against them - winning at Cumberland by 39-18 before a crowd of 6,000.
* Parramatta became known as the Eels in 1965, after a discussion between Jack Argent and Daily Mirror journalist Peter Frilingos. Until then the club had no particular nickname, sometimes being referred to as 'the fruitpickers' (the district was primarily an orchard area in the early days) or just Parra. Frilingos wrote a story suggesting the Eels as a nickname (Parramatta means Where Eels Lie Down) and it gradually gained acceptance.
* Spencer O'Neill, honorary secretary for all but one season from 1962, became fulltime secretary in 1966, lasting until his retirement in 1972.
* In 1968 Parramatta won the S.G. Ball inter-district competition for the third successive year. The following season they missed narrowly, beaten in the final.
I will add more tomorrow.
Replies
And during the time Jack Argent was running the club the current building (pre renovations and extensions) became known as "The House that Jack Built"
Do you know why it carried this name ???
* Parramatta provided the tallest and the shortest players in the game in the 1970s - tallest, fullback Phil Mann 6ft 7in, and shortest, halfback John Kolc 5ft 3in.
* Ray Price began with the Eels as a second-rower and switched to lock where he stayed for a decade. Winger Jim Porter was moved to lock for one game only against North Sydney in 1976, a move that was not a success. The Eels lost 11-5 and with John Quayle worried by a shoulder injury, Price was lock the following week - and stayed.
* In the 7-all draw against Canterbury at Cumberland in 1976, skipper Ray Higgs became the first player to make 50 tackles in a match. His record stood until Paul Taylor broke it with 52 tackles against Easts at Cumberland in 1981.
* Parramatta had a record Australian representation with seven - six players and coach Terry Fearnley - in the 1977 World Series. The players were Denis Fitzgerald, Ray Higgs, John Peard, Michael Cronin, Graham Olling and John Kolc.
* Graham Murray, a dominant figure at Parramatta in the late 1970s, was virtually unwanted by the club years earlier. Eight players from Len Stacker's 1975 President's Cup winning side were called up for grade that season - but not Murray who sat on the under-23s bench at Penrith for three games before returning to junior club Cabramatta. Only Stacker's pleading convinced Parramatta to grade him - thus he began his grade career as a second-rower.
* It was a case of the ball boy playing with his hero when teenager Neil Hunt teamed up with Arthur Beetson in 1980. Hunt, son of former Eastern Suburbs secretary Jim Hunt, was Rooster ball boy back in the early 1970s when Arthur Beetson was one of Easts greats. Parramatta also played the final Wills Cup match - at the SCG in March 1980.
True facts, so don't murder me.
~In their 64 year history, Parramatta have only won 4 premierships, 3 of them under the best coach ever, Jack Gibson, and the other a few years later, with a side that he'd built. All of their success came in a 7 year period.
~Of all the teams currently in the NRL who've won a premiership (so excluding Cronulla, Warriors, Cowboys and Titans), the Eels have the lowest average grandfinal wins per time in existence, with only one every 16 years (on average)
~The average Parramatta supporter has not experienced a grand final win from their team.
~In the past 4 years, Eels supporters have entered the last few weeks hoping for a miracle run home. They got their wish, once.
~Other than the teams who haven't won a premiership, Parra are on of only two teams in the NRL (Rabbits the other team) to have not won a premiership in the last 20 years.
~The Eels recorded the biggest loss this year.
~The Eels have played their best football over the past two months, yet have only won one game.
~Parramatta are currently one point off the wooden spoon.
#justsaying
Funny how you failed to mention that Parra lost a Grand Final to an illegal team. What if the Storm had been caught just before the finals? I don't excuse Parra from their failures in 1998 and 2001, but a little consideration should be given to Parra for the corruption in rugby league that exists these days.
And another thing, the Bulldogs entered the comp in 1935, won titles in 1938 and 1942, but did not win again until 1980 - that's 38 years!!!!
When Parramatta played St George in 1999 there was a record crowd of 104,000.
The 1986 Grand Final is the only G.F. where there were no tries scored but still a result.
Michael Cronin was the first player to pass 2000 points and also holds the record for the most points in a calendar year (547).
Brett Kenny is the only player to score 2 tries in 3 consecutive grand finals.
Parramatt had won the Reserve Grade premiership 3 years in a row when it was replaced in 2009.
* Jack Gibson is tagged 'The Master Coach' but during his successful reign, beginning in 1981, it was a team effort. His regular 'staff' over his many coaching years were Ron Massey (co-ordinator and right hand man), Mick Souter (conditioner) and Alf Richards (trainer), recognised widely as the best in the game in their specific areas.
* The Eels' first sponsorship came in 1977 when Dux (Water Heaters) signed an agreement for the finals series. The next season Elders became sponsors for three seasons with the Eels wearing Famous Grouse (scotch whiskey) on their jerseys. James Hardies Industries, joined the club in 1981 - and struck gold with four premierships.
* Brett Kenny and Peter Sterling caused selection shocks of the decade on the 1982 Kangaroo tour when chosen ahead of team vice-captain Wally Lewis and Steve Mortimer as five-eighth and halfback respectively in all three Tests against Great Britain. Eric Grothe also started his Test career in the same series.
* Parramatta created a Rugby League record in 1985. They had four Rothmans Medallists in the club - Michael Cronin (1977-78), Ray Price (1979), Geoff Bugden (1980) and Mike Eden (1983).
* In 1985 Brett Kenny became the first Australian to win the Lance Todd trophy for best player in the English Challenge Cup final at Wembly. Kenny was the star in Wigan's 28-24 win over Hull. Peter Sterling and John Muggleton played for Hull.
(Parramatta means Where Eels Lie Down) - so 2012 must a Parramatta year then (sigh)...so what is aboriginal for WAKE UP YOU FAARKING EELS AND HAVE A GO !!!!